- Created by Jon Watts and Christopher Ford
- December 2, 2024 to Present
- Based on Star Wars created by George Lucas
- Disney+
Main Cast
- Jod Na Nawood-Jude Law
- Wim-Ravi Cabot-Conyers
- Fern-Ryan Kiera Armstrong
- KB-Kyriana Kratter
- Voice of Neel-Robert Timothy Smith
- Voice of SM-33-Nick Frost
Recurring/Guest Cast
- Wendle (Wim’s dad)-Tunde Adebimpe
- Fara (Fern’s mom)-Kerry Condon
- Tuut Orial-Alan Resnick
- Kh’ymm-Alia Shawkat
- Hayna-Hala Finley
- General Strix-Mathieu Kassovitz
- Brutus-Fred Tatasciore
- Gunter-Jaleel White
- Chaelt-Dale Soules
- Vane-Marti Matulis
- Koma-Sisa Grey
- Beef-Dominic Burgess
- Melna-Paloma Garcia-Lee
- Benjar Pranic-Alfred Molina
The crew on the Onyx Cinder begin the search for At Attin and encounter a deepening mystery.
After the first two episodes I was given hope considering the subpar offerings of late. So here we are at the next two episodes of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew.
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Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem
- Directed by David Lowery
- Written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts
- December 10, 2024
Escaping from their cell in the pirate port, the Skeleton Crew seeks help finding At Attin.
The mystery of what exactly is going on gets driven home more with the barest of hints that things are far more serious than they appear on Planet Suburbia. In a short scene the planet’s droids not only state that the kids are beyond their jurisdiction but hint at possible punishment should they return because they went beyond the barrier.
I had some concerns with how they would deal with the whole waiting to escape of Jod Na Nawood (Jude Law). In no great shock he waited because he did not have a ship until the kids showed up. Obvious AND it makes sense. In short order we not only get the escape from the pirate port but the kids figure out a way to get home. All with the help of Jod and in 30 minutes we get a much better look at his character than we have received it for most characters in much longer episodes of other Star Wars shows.
Jod Na Nawood is a wanted criminal but exactly why they haven’t elaborated. He’s certainly a con artist of some extent and maybe even a killer. His crew turned on him in the first episode which shows their loyalty was shaky to begin with probably because he’s a fast talker.
In Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) appears to get pushed into the background with Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) seemingly growing in importance. Kh’ymm (voice of Alia Shawkat), an owl-like creature they seek out to locate At Attin, even imparts a warning to Fern to watch Jod and get the truth. Wim gets all of five lines maybe.
If this were going for a true emulation of the kid friendly adventure film Wim would be the one to get the warning and Wim would be the one more front and center in things. Fern though is getting much more importance despite her being wrong about not needing Jod Na Nawood. He’s the one who has experience flying a ship. These kids don’t even know a thing about the galaxy at large. How is Fern still able to call the shots?
The tone is humorous with a few nods to other Star Wars. We see a droid very similar to one seen A New Hope. There is even a brief appearance of a battle droid that asks “Did we win?” before getting turned off. There are no heavy themes of destiny or anything like that present so far in the series. Aside from the overall theme of finding your own path this is more a fun adventure. It’s thrilling escapes and dangerous baddies. It’s part Goonies and part Treasure Island. Personally, I like the Disney film Treasure Planet a little more but anyway…
I hope At Attin isn’t as easily found as it was implied here. It would be a bit of lazy plot contrivance for them to get to it by episode four. Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem also leans into heavy mentions of the great work-whatever that is. The kids are all well aware of it and it’s something the adults are heavily into but maybe they don’t even know. A lot of questions were brought up in this.
Overall Very Interesting, as an Astrogation Problem was a nice episode. Nothing too deep but just a fun, exciting ride with good visuals though it felt like too little of an episode. Stop with the obligatory series runtime and just give us whatever you can get out of the plot. Still happy with what I’m getting though.
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Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin
- Directed by Daniel Kwan and Daniel Scheinert
- Written by Christopher Ford and Jon Watts
- December 17, 2024
The crew arrives at a planet that is NOT At Attin.
Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin deepens the mystery deep at the core of the series. They don’t find their homeworld right off the bat but rather a very similar looking world that’s been devastated by an ongoing conflict. What that conflict is about is not really clear. Why? Because that’s part of the mystery of the show. The kids do ask why they’re fighting but nobody ever says why.
Fern (Ryan Kiera Armstrong) is probably the least charming character in Star Wars: Skeleton Crew and she keeps getting pushed forward. She’s not insufferable-at least in this episode-but certainly not the most likable of the lot. As a character she is reflexively angry and contrary to the point of being difficult just to be difficult. As I have said before if this were truly emulating Goonies and the like Wim (Ravi Cabot-Conyers) would be more central/important than her.
Fern as is Neel (voice of Robert Timothy Smith) is certainly getting more play in this than Wim. I guess Neel was meant to have a bit of a crush on the warrior girl Hayna (Hala Finley). This desire for romance or anything seems to come out of nowhere. Fern on the other hand maintains her nearly obsessive need to be in charge. And Wim fades into the background complaining that things were just starting to get fun and fanboying out every time there’s a moment of excitement. He’s getting more and more two dimensional.
I do not understand Fern mistrusting Jod (Jude Law). These four kids were about to engage in battle and he managed to negotiate a deal that not only prevented the battle but returned the property back to the rightful owners using the conflict with nobody getting hurt. Fern’s concern is he stole some money that made the safe option happen. Maybe wait a little bit to complain rather than complaining about it just as you were saved.
Jod is starting to grow on me. He’s a very Han Solo type-a charming rogue with a good heart. At least so far. He certainly wants whatever the treasure is on At Attin but there is some indication he may have positive feelings for the children. You may not 100% like him but he is far more charming than some of the other characters and though we know little about him he is just better developed here.
We got a little bit more development on the questions surrounding SM-33 (voice of Nick Frost) and how he arrived on At Attin. What I found intriguing was that his repeated statement “Can’t say I remember no At Attin” was not a statement of a lack of knowledge but rather an indication he was not allowed to say anything about the place by his previous captain. The knowledge of At Attin’s location is right out of reach because of the last pirate captain. That discovery also leads to some danger and the friendly robot isn’t nearly as friendly as they would like.
This is something that occurred to me: In a galaxy where you can convert a planet into a super weapon you certainly have the power to terraform planets almost identically. Why make one or more planets similar to each other as implied by the similarities between At Attin and At Achrann. And what does that say about the power structure on At Attin?
This episode moves the story along. The dialogue was great and despite my issues with some of the characters I was entertained. The special effects and sets were excellent. In 39 minutes they created something that hooked you from the start.
Can’t Say I Remember No At Attin may not be the greatest bit of Star Wars ever, but it’s certainly far and away better than many of the recent offerings. Not perfect but I am enjoying myself.
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On Star Wars: Skeleton Crew Fern is becoming a more prominent character than Wim whose daydreams got them in the predicament. I really wish they would put more effort into him than into her. With it billed as a combination Goonies and Treasure Island it certainly would make sense for Jod to act as Wim’s guide into maturity and discovery of who he really is. As of right now Wim is just a hindrance to Fern’s authority.
The episodes are short and to the point and don’t overstay their welcome. They pack as much as they can in and leave you wanting more. The series feels like it is heading toward something rather than meandering around.
Neel and KB are very background characters. Neel at least got some focus in the most recent episode, but the actress behind KB is able to show up to work and get a paycheck without doing much of anything right now. Maybe there was some thought as to what she might be used for, but so far we’re four episodes in and we know very little about her character.
The stories are progressing nicely and I anticipate the next episode. It’s not a tough slog. They’re not trying to stretch out something into far more than it actually is. At least not too much. Some of the episodes feel like part of an episode but it hasn’t been so egregious that it takes away from building momentum.
I look forward to the rest of Star Wars: Skeleton Crew. It looks like it will be a very fun ride.
Warren Watched A Movie 